The Thousand Islands Arts Center, Clayton, NY

(Formerly the American Handweaving Museum and Arts Center)

Last Friday I had the opportunity while on a family vacation to stop at the Thousand Islands Arts Center in Clayton, NY.  I have wanted to visit ever since I first heard of it several years ago, so even though I only had two hours to spend, I made sure to fit it in.

A week before the visit, I emailed Leslie Rowland, Executive Director, who very kindly arranged for Sonja Wahl to be my guide.

Sonja served as the Curator of the American Handweaving Museum from its inception in the late 1960s until 2004.  She served in that position (and continues to serve the Center) as a volunteer, and is responsible for the scope of the collection and the meticulous and organized storage system in which it is housed.  Based on the Center’s own literature and statements made to me during my visit by other staff and volunteers, it would be difficult to overstate the degree to which the excellence of the handweaving collection has depended on Sonja’s efforts for the past nearly forty years.  She showed me around the house which serves as the Center, into which is crammed two exhibit rooms, a weaving studio, staff offices and a meeting room.  Upstairs is the library and the room housing the textile collection.  Behind the house is a building for the pottery studio associated with the Center.

The American Handweaving Museum grew out of the Thousand Islands Craft School, founded in 1966.  The first donation to its textile collection came from Berta Frey, a preeminent American handweaver in the 20th century and author of Designing and Drafting for Handweavers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Sonja Wahl, it was the donation of the Berta Frey collection that encouraged other weavers to place their own collections at the Museum.  The names that I saw on the labels in the archive would be recognized by many weavers today as extremely important contributors to American handweaving, among them:  Lucille Landis, Mary Elizabeth Snyder, Marjorie Ruth Ross (500 Treadlings), Marguerite Porter Davison, Klara Cherepov (diversified plain weave), and Theo Moorman.

Over the years, the Museum received collections including printed matter, textiles and equipment, which Sonja and others have worked to catalog and store.  Today, the Museum (now called the Thousand Islands Arts Center) has around 20,000 items, three-quarters of which are samples and cloth made by American handweavers.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the Center lacks the space to display more than a few items at a time, but these are rotated often so that more of the collection can be displayed.

The Center is in the process of cataloguing and digitizing its entire collection.  The library is also slated to be fully catalogued and, along with the rest of the collection, made available on a searchable database online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any weaver or textile enthusiast would enjoy a trip to the Thousand Islands Arts Center.  In addition to the regular exhibits, there are many classes and events.  I would like to thank the staff and volunteers who made my short visit so productive and pleasant, especially Sonja Wahl, who devoted herself to answering my questions and talking about my weaving interests for my entire visit.

If you are planning a visit and have specific interests you would like to research, it would be a good idea to use the contact form on the website to let them know ahead of time when you are coming and what you would like to accomplish during your visit.  Otherwise, just plan to drop in during their open hours (be sure to check the website for the most up-to-date hours).

There are a lot of reasons to visit the Thousand Islands region of New York in addition to the Thousand Islands Arts Center.  These were taken near Clayton:

 

The next photos were taken at Boldt Castle on Heart Island off of Alexandria Bay, NY:

 

 

 

 

 

And Niagara Falls is only a four-hour drive away!

 

 

 

 

As you can tell, it was a great trip.  I am already planning my return visit to the Thousand Islands Arts Center to do some more research and spend some time with the people who have made it great!